More Tennessee Homeowners Want Storm Shelters and Safe Rooms Installed
Visit http://www.nationalstormshelters.com to see why:
"More Middle Tennessee homeowners want storm safe rooms installed - Storm safe rooms grow more popular with homeowners"
Written by
Bill Lewis for The Tennessean
Homeowners may love their granite kitchens and baths, spa tubs and hardwood floors, but for many, the most important new-house luxury is one their guests never see, and one they never want to use.
It's their storm shelter, hidden in the garage, under the front porch or tucked away in a concrete and steel room that looks like an ordinary closet. With severe storms and tornadoes frequently threatening Middle Tennessee, concerned homebuyers are adding storm shelters to their list of "must-have" amenities, according to home builders.
"It's a very popular upgrade," said Trey Lewis, vice president of sales and marketing for Ole South. The company builds homes throughout greater Nashville. Growing numbers of buyers are asking for extra-large garages to make room for a storm shelter.
Gallatin native Heather Bullington knew a family whose home was destroyed when a tornado struck that city six years ago. When she and her husband, Ryan, bought their East Nashville home while it was still being completed by Woodland Street Partners, they added a storm shelter to the floor plan.
"It's a scary thing," she said, "given that we've had devastating tornadoes in Nashville and they're becoming more frequent."
They've been in their house just a few months but have already used their storm shelter. When storms and hail struck Nashville in March, "we decided to evacuate to the panic room," Bullington said.
They felt secure in the 16-by-7-foot shelter, which has concrete walls and a steel door. It is under the front porch, where it does double duty as a wine cellar.
"We joke we don't have a wine opener down there. We need one if we could be down there for a while," she said.
Keepsakes safe, too
Memories of the 1998 tornado that wreaked havoc in parts of Nashville convinced Kristin Knoll to include a safe room in the design of her new custom home on Fatherland Street.
"We've had more tornadoes in Nashville. I was thinking about that possibility. It seems we have one every year, someone's house being destroyed," she said.
Knoll's safe room is just steps away from the living room. Made of concrete and steel, it is finished with drywall and tile, making it look like an ordinary walk-in closet where she stores important documents and mementos.
"I never have to worry about keepsakes being lost" in a storm, she said. "And if I'm home, I'm getting in there, too."
Hart-Love Builders, the company that built Knoll's home, is seeing growing demand for storm shelters in new houses and homes that it renovates.
"It's probably going to be one of our signatures, like granite in the kitchen," said Tarrick Love, the company's co-owner. "You design them to withstand 150 miles-per-hour (wind). We could see that in a bad tornado."
'It's the new thing'
Custom home building company Grove Park Construction, which builds homes with prices ranging from about $700,000 to $4 million, has eight storm shelters under construction, said president Brandon Jenkins. Some are equipped with televisions "so people can see the tornado coming."
Most new-home buyers seem to want storm shelters, said Jenkins, who has one in his own Brentwood home. He has taken refuge there twice.
"It's a huge deal. It's the new thing. Sixty to 70 percent of the houses we're doing want them," he said.
This year's early spring and the accompanying storms have increased demand from homeowners, said Larry Hooper, a manager at National Storm Shelters. The company has a factory in Smyrna where it fabricates parts for shelters. It installs them for home builders in houses under construction and for owners of existing homes.
Last year, the company sold 150 shelters. This year it has already sold 100, and the pace is not slowing down, Hooper said. An underground shelter costs $5,500. An above-ground safe room costs $3,900 to $6,500, depending on the size.
The above-ground safe rooms can withstand an EF3 tornado, which can reach wind speeds of 165 mph. The underground shelters can handle an EF5 tornado with winds greater than 200 mph, Hooper said.
More homeowners than ever are keeping an eye on the weather, he said.
"When we have a thunderstorm, our phones ring."
Contact Bill Lewis at 615-262-5862 or [email protected].
![[For Honor] This Conqueror Really Playing Dirty Like That POLE DANCING](https://images.videosashka.com/watch/DKkmR83pro4)
